Description

Quality Dimensions

Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.

—Steve Jobs

Quality can be a challenge to define because individuals differ in their perception of quality. One person may enjoy the taste of a certain beverage and recommend it to others, only to discover that no one else finds it appealing. Two families might see the same movie at the theater and one of them enjoys it while the other wishes they could get their money back. The same challenges of defining quality exist within product and service organizations, but this does not make the pursuit of quality any less important. The value in quality within any organization is understanding the cost and consequences if it is lacking. For many customers, the main deciding factor in their purchasing decisions is the level of quality. No one wants a product that breaks within a day or two. No one wants to order from a restaurant where the food doesn’t taste good much of the time. A failure of quality can lead to the total failure of a business.

This week, you will identify the dimensions of quality for both products and services. You will explain the importance of quality in organizations and discuss the difficulties in managing quality. In the Discussion, you will identify real-world examples of product and service organizations to describe their quality dimensions and explain which industry faces more challenges with quality implementation. In the Assignment, you will work as an analyst in the operations department of XYZ Corporation to provide a report on dimensions of quality to a client.

 

Product Versus Service Industries

Quality is when the customer returns and the product does not.

—Tim Robertson

As you explore the various definitions and dimensions of quality, it helps to understand who the consumers are and what their expectations are for products or services. Ultimately, they are the ones who decide if an organization’s products or services meet those standards or not. You will find that quality criteria can be different for products than they are for services. There may be similarities and common elements, too, which operations managers should strive for. Leading quality organizations set the stage and provide solid examples for implementing quality practices and overcoming challenges.

In this Discussion, you will identify real-world examples of product and service organizations, describe their quality dimensions, and explain why one at least one of them has the most challenges in pursuing quality implementation.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources.
• Locate a company that has challenges with quality. This can be a company that you know of, that you found through a search, or even one for which you have worked.
• Review the Academic Writing Expectations for 2000/3000-Level Courses, provided in this week’s Learning Resources.

By Day 3

Post a 225- to 300-word (3- to 4-paragraph) comparison of the quality dimensions for products and services. In your comparison, do the following:

• Describe the company you located and identify whether it is a provider of products, services, or both. If you found it online, provide a link to the company.
• Describe what types of quality issues the company has experienced, as well as the consequences (or potential consequences) for those issues.
• Explain whether providers of products or services have the most challenges with quality implementation and why. Provide at least two specific examples from your selected company to support your explanation.
• To support your response, be sure to include at least one properly cited scholarly source.